In some packet-based communications protocols, in an open data session between two communication devices, there is an active state where a communication channel is “up” and is capable of sending and receiving packets and a dormant state where the communication channel is “down”, but one of the two communication devices maintains the open session. When the communication channel is in the active state there is often a default time period after the expiry of which the communication channel is brought down.
In a communication device that is not strictly always-on, but has multiple sessions open, some of which are for always-on applications and others that are for intermittent applications, the timer may not be capable of taking into account the differences in the operation of the always-on and intermittent applications. If the timer is set based on a particular application's operation this can result in sessions for other applications being shut down prematurely before the other applications have completed sending or receiving packets resulting in missed services. In the case of a communication device that is both voice and data enabled, in some situations when a channel is up, the active channel state pre-empts the ability for the wireless device to receive and process voice signals. These types of problems can adversely effect the quality of service as perceived by the user of the communication device.
Keeping a channel of an external connection active or bringing up a channel from a dormant state can be an “expensive” activity. Expensive in the context of a physical quality such as battery life of a battery used in the communication device or the amount of time consumed in bringing up the channel from a dormant state. For example, bringing up a channel that has just gone dormant may take more time then if the channel had been allowed to stay up a somewhat longer period of time. However, leaving the channel active for too long a period of time has a detrimental effect on the battery life of the communication device. Therefore, it would be advantageous to reach a balance in keeping the expense of operating the device low while at the same time not sacrificing quality of service.